Stories

Transforming lives begins with something as simple as a friendly smile and a non-judgmental ear.

That’s why Our Place believes in offering a hand up rather than a hand out. The lives that have been transformed because of the love, support and friendship that radiates within our building is incredible. Here are just a few of our stories.

“It is overwhelming what you see on the streets. The pain, the suffering, and the children. My God, the children who are out there by themselves in the middle of the night. It’s terrifying.” — Miatreya

When you first meet Miatreya, the vision of her working on an organic farm and raising her two sons isn’t difficult to imagine. In fact, she fits the part perfectly.

And, for awhile, that was her life until drugs and addiction took it all away.

There are two startling statistics in the first three months of Our Place operating an Overdose Prevention Site in its courtyard.

The first is that staff have been able to respond to, on average, 30 drug overdoses per month. The second, and even more startling statistic during this deadly fentanyl epidemic, is there hasn’t been a single fatality.

The reason for this is the care and attention of the staff inside the orange POD — or Place of Dignity.

At the end of a hard shift, most of us look forward to heading home, getting into something cozy, and relaxing. For Clifford, however, his bed was a dumpster behind the restaurant where he worked.

For the last four years, Clifford, 34, has worked the evening shift at a local restaurant, cooking up chicken and earning the respect of his employer.

When you meet this young man, it’s easy to tell that he takes great pride in being a hard worker and an employee that his boss can count on. So why, one may ask, was he spending his nights curled up behind a dumpster?

Lloyd freely admits he has made his fair share of mistakes, but for the most part he was able to stand on his own two feet while supporting a wife and two children — until the day his wife died.

"Without my wife, I just wanted to die," he admits.

At age 54, and married for 23 years, the hard-working bricklayer was brought so low by his wife’s death that he returned to a lifestyle that he knew well, a lifestyle that had tripped him up in the past.

"I was suicidal, super depressed, and began using drugs," he says. "I planned to take some heroin and take myself out."

Wearing a Pink Floyd T-shirt, it’s evident that music has always played an important role in Jerry’s life. When asked when he got married, he easily answers, "It was the year The Eagles released ‘Hell Freezes Over’." He smiles. "That’s what all my friends said, Hell must have frozen over if Jerry is getting married."

Born in Victoria, Jerry’s start to life was as normal as most people’s. Raised in James Bay, he ran around with his older brothers, exploring the neighbourhood, and doing what young boys do.

There are many roads that lead to Our Place, whether you arrive as a volunteer, staff member or someone in need.

Quite often, those paths are multi-forked and complex, but the end result is always that you’ve found a place of healing, hope and belonging. When David Pickard found himself at the door of Our Place’s predecessor, The Upper Room, he was a very different person from the friendly face that greets every volunteer and business owner who arrives at Our Place to sponsor a breakfast or host a special meal.

Healing can come from the most unexpected places: planting a tree or mopping a floor, but perhaps the strongest connection is when someone looks into your heart and recognizes the strength inside.

Born into a family of 15 children with alcohol-dependent parents, John Prevost admits he should be dead. A nurse told him once that his hospital chart was a nightmare list of drug overdoses, but "the creator had other plans."